Bets Are Off
by FaithinBones
Summary: Booth discovers that there is a pool for when he and Brennan are going to get together as a romantic couple. He decides to play a trick on the gamblers with Brennan's help. (season 6)
1. Chapter 1

(After The Change in the Game)

A new story. I hope you like it.

I don't own Bones.

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"Bones, you're never going to guess what I overheard in the parking garage at the Hoover." Booth closed the front door behind him, removed his jacket and draped in on the back of one of the chairs in the dining room. "There's a pool about us."

Not sure she understood what Booth was talking about, Brennan left the kitchen to confront her boyfriend. "A swimming pool with our name on it? Why . . ."

Amused, Booth chuckled as he leaned over to kiss her. "Not a swimming pool . . . a betting pool." He liked the kiss and felt he needed more. Pulling her against his body, he initiated a kiss that Brennan escalated into a breath taking moment. Once they were truly breathless and their lips finally parted, Brennan patted his chest. "A betting pool about what exactly?"

Pleased with Brennan's welcome home kiss, Booth released his hold on her and nodded at the kitchen. "I'll explain while we cook dinner. I'm hungry." As he followed Brennan into the kitchen, Booth explained about the pool. "I overheard Charlie talking to Agent Burnside . . . They have a pool going on about when we're going to get together . . . you know as a romantic couple."

Irritated with the news, Brennan huffed. "People find too many ways to waste valuable time and money. Gambling is bad enough, but to wager when we're going to get together is just ridiculous and no one's business but ours."

Shrugging his shoulders, Booth grabbed the cutting board from the cabinet and started chopping vegetables for salad. "I think we have a great opportunity for a great prank here . . . if you want to go along with it."

Curious, Brennan removed the lid from the pot on the stove, checked her bok choy soup and gave it a quick stir. "What kind of prank?" She didn't consider herself very good at jokes or pranks even if she did keep trying. "What will it entail?"

"Well, I'm thinking it would be cool if we don't tell anyone about us being together for as long as possible." Booth grabbed a bell pepper from the fridge, lopped off the top and removed the seeds. "I know we were going to tell everyone next week, but why should we? If they have a pool then someone is going to profit from this and I don't want them to. We just keep quiet about us and when they finally do find out we don't confirm the date when we got together. It'll create chaos with the pool. Get it? It's funny and it'll teach them a lesson about sticking their noses in our business."

Her hand rubbing a small circle on her still flat stomach, Brennan frowned in thought. "But, I'm pregnant and Angela already knows we're together."

"No she doesn't." Booth waved his knife in the air then turned back to the cutting board and started to chop up celery. "You told her we slept together after the English Squintern died, but you told me that you didn't tell her we're a couple, so that's covered and you're not showing yet. When it becomes obvious then the chaos will begin . . . Come on, it'll be funny."

She didn't really see the humor in the situation, but if Booth thought it would be funny then she would like to make him happy and go along with his plan. Perhaps the humor would reveal itself in the end. "Alright, but Angela has been asking me about us and when we are going to commit to a monogamous relationship. I haven't told her yet, because I thought we were going to make a formal announcement. I believe that is the socially acceptable way of doing it."

Using his knife, Booth pointed at her stomach. "Since when do we do anything the conventional way? We do everything ass backwards as far as I can tell."

"Well yes, we do seem to defy social convention." Brennan thought about it for a minute. "Perhaps it will be amusing after all."

"That's my girl." Booth tossed his cut up vegetables in a large bowl with some romaine lettuce and felt his salad was almost ready. "I think this would be better with bacon in it."

"Booth!" Brennan exhaled deeply. "You promised to eat a meatless dinner tonight."

Booth shrugged his shoulders and stared at the colorful salad. "How about some bacon bits? They aren't really meat. It's just some soy shit that sort of tastes like bacon. It would still be vegetarian."

Her nose wrinkling, Brennan shook her head. "Bacon bits are disgusting. If you wish to use them in your salad I suppose that would be alright, but I don't want them in my salad. "

Grateful for the reprieve, Booth grabbed the bacon bits from the fridge. "Thank God for pretend meat. My taste buds would go on strike if they didn't taste at least something that tasted like meat on my tongue."

Rolling her eyes, Brennan checked on her risotto and knew that changing her boyfriend's diet was likely to fail, but she'd keep trying. It was her goal to make sure he lived as long as possible.

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Hodgins had recently placed another bet with Charlie at the DC about the Booth and Brennan 'couple' pool and he was quite certain he was going to win that pool. Angela had let it slip that Booth and Brennan had already slept together and he was certain there was no way they weren't a couple yet. He just wished they would make an announcement so he could collect his winnings. Of course if more wagers were added to the pot it would just make it that much sweeter. He loved it when he won. It didn't matter what he was winning whether it was a wager or an award, he just liked it when he was right and everyone else was wrong.

Observing Booth leaving Brennan's office, Hodgins decided to see what was happening with the crime-fighting couple. "Hey Booth, hold up."

Not in a hurry to be anywhere, Booth stopped and waited for Hodgins to jog across the hallway to join him. "What do you want?"

"I just thought I'd say hi and um . . . how are you doing lately?" Hodgins knew he couldn't just right come out and ask what he wanted to know, but he thought he could be subtle. "Anything new in your life . . . a promotion, maybe you're dating someone."

Careful to keep the amusement off of his face, Booth scowled instead. "My private life is private bug boy. When are you going to learn that?"

"I know, I was just being a friend." Hodgins wasn't sure how to get around Booth's privacy hangup, but he thought maybe a push here and there might help. "I have a friend I can hook you up with. She's beautiful, 30 years old, single, no kids and she's got a great job. She's a neurosurgeon. I think you'd like her."

Booth was well aware that Hodgins was on a fishing trip and he was trying to force his hand, but Booth knew how to play the game. "Nah, I'm not dating right now. I'm giving myself a break. When I'm ready I'm going to make sure I'm not dating a freaking genius. I'm not interested in dating anyone that makes me look as dim as a 40 watt light bulb anymore. I'm done with that. When it's time I'm going to find an average woman with an average job like me. Get it?"

A little alarmed with Booth's answer, Hodgins frowned and tried to figure out if Booth was playing him. There was no way Booth wasn't interested in Brennan and Hodgins didn't want to buy what Booth was selling. "You have a type man . . . Dr. Brennan is your type, smart beautiful independent women. You would never be satisfied with anyone other than Dr. B."

A fierce scowl crossed the Agent's face which made Hodgins step back. "Look Hodgins, don't think for a minute you know me. You just think you know me." Booth stepped up the intimidation which he knew he was very good at. "You mind your business not mine and we'll both continue to be friends, got it?"

His stomach was fluttering in fear and Hodgins wasn't sure he should press Booth any further. "Um, yeah, sure. I was just trying to help. A man like you and not dating seems a shame . . ."

"A man like me?" Booth knew what Hodgins was talking about and he was actually flattered, but this was a game that Booth intended to win. "I do fine and I definitely don't need the help of a squint to find dates." Booth decided he needed to leave. The look on Hodgins' face made him want to laugh and that would ruin what he was trying to achieve. _God he's so easy._

Once Booth left the Lab, Hodgins rubbed his lower arms trying to press the hair on his arms down. He really liked Booth, but sometimes the man scared the hell out of him.

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"Babe, I don't think Booth and Dr. B are in a relationship after all." Hodgins leaned against her doorway and studied the way Angela reacted to the news. Anger and disappointment mixed in with disbelief were most of the feelings that the entomologist picked up. "I talked to Booth and I thought I could get him to let something slip, but that didn't work so I offered to find him a date. Man his reaction . . . he was pissed. He said he's done with independent genius women and when he starts dating again he's going to date average women with average jobs like him. That doesn't sound like he's with Brennan at all."

Disgusted that Brennan and Booth seemed to be fighting the inevitable, Angela stared at the painting she had just finished of Michael Vincent and thought about the situation. "I don't get it. I just don't understand. They slept together. My God they slept together. What's it going to take to make those two see that . . . I just don't know what to do."

Hodgins moved into the room and over to where his wife was sitting. "Maybe they just aren't meant to be together. Maybe they just want to be friends."

Not willing to allow that to happen, Angela shook her head. "No that isn't right. They're at their best when they're together. They were so happy the day after they slept together . . . I mean, yes they were sad that Vincent was dead, but Brennan was happy and she's still happy . . . I think there is more to this than meets the eye. There has to be."

"Maybe, but you didn't talk to Booth." Hodgins sat down on the chair next to her chair. "He scared the shit out of me when I offered to fix him up. He . . . he was pretty ugly about it."

Angela reached out and grasped her husband's hand. She had never met a couple of people that were so determined to keep each other at a distance and it was so damn frustrating.

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Let me know if this is any good. Thanks.


	2. Chapter 2

(After The Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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The pot in the Booth/Brennan pool was getting ridiculously big and making most of the ones participating in the pool anxious. The only one that knew for certain how much was in the pot wasn't confirming or denying anything. Charlie was having too much fun and the mysterious amount of the pool was part of the fun. When he had first started the pool, he had tried his best interrogation skills with Booth to find out if he and Dr. Brennan were dating yet, but Booth was too wily and after two years he had decided not to worry about winning. The fun was in actually running the pool. Sure he wouldn't have minded winning, but the frustration and complaints from the participants was priceless and Charlie was now in it for the entertainment.

When Booth had started to date Hannah, a few of the participants had wanted to end the pool, but quite a few of the people with money in the pot had scoffed at the idea. Most had felt that Hannah was Booth's effort to deny his attraction towards Brennan and the majority voted to keep the pool running. The confident faithful had all been vindicated when Booth and Hannah had broken up and the pool had surged for weeks afterward.

Of course the little bit of money Charlie was making while the pot was sitting in his savings account was rather satisfying too. True it was a pittance, but the interest he was accruing wasn't part of the pool and he considered it payment for running a two year old pool.

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Brennan was starting to have trouble wearing her clothes and she knew she'd have to buy maternity clothes very soon. She had given up on the pants she owned a few weeks earlier and was wearing a lot of skirts and blouses. Booth had noticed the increasing breast size and hip size and he loved it. He considered his Bones his standard of all things beautiful and her curves were so sexy he had trouble keeping his hands to himself even when they were away from home.

So far they had managed to hide their closer relationship and Booth was starting to wonder why. He knew that he and Brennan touched each all of the time and yet no one had called them on it yet. True they had always touched each other in the past, but Booth thought it was worse now and he couldn't believe how unobservant the people around him were. "Bones we're surrounded by fucking morons."

Surprised at the blanket statement, Brennan stirred her pot of mixed vegetables and wondered why her boyfriend was so irritable. "I don't know what you mean."

Checking the baking chicken breasts and tofu stuffed zucchini, Booth decided they weren't ready yet and closed the oven door. "Well, you and me have been living together for about three and a half months. We trade-off between your apartment and mine and no one questions us when they find us at each other's apartment. Angela has seen me here a bunch of times and hasn't said word one and Cam has seen you at my place a few times too. Then there's the fact that you're starting to show and not a peep from anyone. We're supposed to be working with brilliant investigators and genius scientists and not one of them can put the clues together. It's pitiful."

His irritation rather puzzling, Brennan turned to face Booth. "Are you disappointed that we can't tell anyone we're together yet or are you disappointed in the observational skills of our friends and co-workers.?"

"Both." Booth was getting tired of pretending they were just partners in public. "I thought for sure someone would figure it out before now. Everyone at the Lab is constantly reminding me about what geniuses they are and yet they can't see you're changing before their eyes. When they finally do figure it out, it will serve them right when we refuse to tell them when we got together . . . of course that's going to be the fun part of this. Those idiots are going to be battling with each other over that pot and I'm going to laugh my ass off."

Brennan still didn't see the fun part of the joke Booth was playing on everyone, but she had grown resigned to the fact that some jokes were beyond her. "When I update my wardrobe and I can no longer see my shoes when I stand up, I will assume someone will notice. I for one am disappointed that Angela and Dr. Saroyan haven't noticed. I thought they were much more observant than they have shown to be so far."

Leaning against the fridge, Booth shook his head. "Well, it can't be much longer. Someone will figure it out soon. They better or I'm going to seriously consider transferring some people out of my division. My bright investigators are starting to look a little too dim to me."

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"Ange I'm telling you Brennan is pregnant." Hodgins was pacing in his wife's office and trying to figure out when that could have happened. "She's wearing skirts now, not slacks. She's looking chubby when she's wearing her coveralls and her breasts are bigger. She has to be pregnant. What I can't figure out is why she isn't telling anyone . . . Do you think Booth and Brennan did the deed and realized that they couldn't be a couple and are just . . . I don't know, staying friends? It's . . . this isn't what I expected at all. I thought for sure when they slept together then they'd finally get together as a couple, but . . . not a peep. What the hell is wrong with those two?"

Angela had been asking herself the same thing for weeks. It was obvious that Brennan was pregnant and yet both Brennan and Booth were acting like nothing was going on. "I'm going to kill both of them I swear. Those two have to be the most stubborn people ever to live . . . When Vincent died and Brennan told me that she crawled into bed with Booth I thought their foolishness was done, but so far they're acting like they aren't together and if that's true and their going to let Brennan have that baby without acknowledging what they've done . . . I'm going to kill them. I'll wait until the baby is born and then I'm going to kill them both."

"Who are you going to kill and what baby?" Cam entered Angela's office carrying a USB drive. She had downloaded all of the tests on their latest victim for Angela to use in their search for their Jane Doe and wondered what she had walked in to. "Is there someone being unprofessional around here and whose pregnant?"

Startled, Angela turned away from her husband to face Cam. "Brennan is pregnant. She hasn't made an announcement yet, but it's obvious. I don't know what to do. Are we supposed to ignore it until she says something? What are she and Booth doing? This is ridiculous. They can't just ignore her pregnancy. They can't expect us to ignore it . . . they make me so damn angry."

Amused at Angela's anger, Cam smiled. "They think they're so smart. Anyone with eyes can see that Dr. Brennan is pregnant . . . the real mystery is whether or not they're together or not. They both still have their apartments and as far as I know they're still living as singles, but that can't last much longer. Booth will want to be the father of the baby. I can't imagine he would want to go through what he went through with Rebecca a second time . . . I think they're waiting for something, I just don't know what it is."

Her words made Hodgins pause and think. "They are waiting for something, but what?"

Staring at the doorway, Angela tried to think what could keep her friends from announcing their relationship and suddenly was struck with a thought. "What if it isn't Booth's child?"

Both Hodgin and Cam laughed. "Angela, don't be ridiculous." Hodgins thought the idea to be ludicrous. "If Brennan is pregnant then it's Booth's baby."

"I agree." Cam sighed and shook her head. "You know there is that no fraternization rule at the FBI. Maybe they're afraid that the FBI will break up their partnership."

"Maybe." Angela thought that her boss was probably right. "But they're going to have to come clean soon, consequences be damned."

Hodgins jammed his hands in his lab coat pockets. "The FBI can't break them up. That would be so stupid."

Cam agreed, but she also knew that government agencies didn't always care about consequences either.

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"Booth, I know you said they won't break up our partnership, but rules are rules." Brennan lay next to Booth staring at the ceiling. It was at night that her doubts started to creep in and she needed Booth's positiveness to help her push them away.

As patient as he could be, Booth shifted his body so he could place an arm around his girlfriend. "Don't worry about it. I told you that I told Cullen when you told me you found out you're pregnant and he said our partnership is safe. He also knows about the pool and he wants to be in on the joke. He doesn't like office pools and he thinks our joke might cure everyone at the Hoover. Believe it or not, he also thinks it's a damn funny joke. It'll be okay. You'll see."

Snuggling against Booth's side, Brennan sighed. "I think a lot of people will be angry with us."

"Oh well." Booth didn't care. "Maybe they'll leave our private lives alone after this then. Serves them right as far as I'm concerned."

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Let me know what you think of my story. Thank you.


	3. Chapter 3

(After The Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. I really appreciate it.

I don't own Bones.

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Angela couldn't take it anymore. The not knowing was driving her crazy and she had to know what was going on. "You're pregnant."

"Yes I am." Brennan was relieved that someone had finally noticed. She had even complained the evening before to Booth about the fact that everyone she worked with appeared to be blind to her condition.

Surprised that Brennan would just confirm it just like that, Angela entered the examination room and glared at Brennan. "So you don't deny it?"

"Why would I deny it?" Brennan thought the question was ridiculous. "I'm obviously pregnant. I'm actually quite disappointed in you Angela. You should have noticed it before now, in fact, everyone should have noticed it before now."

Trying to control her temper, Angela gritted her teeth and counted softy from one to five. "We did notice, but we thought you'd say something before now. Why not tell us? Is there a problem? Is it Booth's baby or not? Is he refusing to take responsibility because if he is . . ."

Brennan held up her hand and sighed. "Booth is the father and he does take responsibility. He will be an excellent parent. I know he will because of his relationship with his son, Parker."

"Then why?" Angela was so frustrated with her friend she thought she'd burst. "Why the secret? Are you two a couple or not?"

Unable to hide her smile, Brennan took off her latex gloves and threw them in the biohazard bin. "We know about the pool . . . Booth and I know about the pool about us."

"Um, okay." She was beginning to see what was going on and Angela could only see trouble ahead. "Are you telling me you and Booth have been keeping quiet about your pregnancy because of the pool?"

Not sure how much she should admit to, Brennan thought Booth's rule about keeping their relationship a secret should still hold, at least for now. "Booth heard about the pool and he became quite angry. He thinks too many of our friends and co-workers are too busy interfering in our private business and I concur. Betting on us is a waste of money, time and a clear invasion of our privacy."

The anger in Brennan's voice was apparent and Angela knew that the pool had probably been a bad idea. "It seemed harmless enough when it was started. Come on, Bren. We create pools for everything you know that."

"No, most of them are sports related." Brennan didn't intend to let her friends off too easy. She really hated gambling and appreciated that Booth had given up gambling seven years earlier. "Making wagers on events in someone's life seems both gauche to me and insensitive and Booth agrees."

"So you know that the pool is about when you two get together as a couple?" Angela knew that the partners might be irritated about the pool, but at least they could wrap it up now. "Are you living together yet? You are aren't you?"

Brennan decided to stick to technicalities. They were a couple, but they weren't living together. "We are not living together." As she walked past Angela and out of the room, Brennan tried to hide her smile and failed. "We're just partners."

"But you're having a baby with Booth." Angela could not believe what she was hearing. "What are you two waiting for? Of course you're a couple."

Remaining silent, Brennan moved down the hallway to her office, closed the door behind her and called her lover. She was starting to see the amusing part of the plan and wanted Booth to know what was going on.

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She had thought it had gone too far and someone had to intervene. The squabbling by the pool entrants was getting out of hand and Cam had witnessed some terrible arguments at the Jeffersonian while everyone tried to guess when Booth and Brennan had become a romantic couple. Absolutely no one believed the partners when they said they were just partners and the pool players wanted the pool closed and the money given out.

Cam found Booth in his office, stalked in and closed the door behind her. "Okay Big Guy, you and Dr. Brennan have had your fun, but it's time to stop. Just tell me when you two became a couple and we'll close the pool down."

With a trace of a smile on his face, Booth shook his head. "Bones and I aren't a couple."

Angry with her friend, Cam slapped Booth's desk with the palm of her hand. "You are a couple and you're punishing everyone for betting on you. Well it's not a nice thing to do. People want the pool closed and the winner needs to collect their money. You're just being petty and you know it."

"I'm not nice and I can be petty." Booth leaned back against his chair. ""No one has a right to use my private life as a way to entertain themselves. My life is real. Bones' life is real and we will not be played with. I don't give a shit if anyone ever wins that pool. Maybe the next time they'll think twice before they use us as a source of entertainment."

Yelling at her friend wasn't going to get what she wanted and Cam knew it. Sitting down, she calmed her emotions and stared at Booth trying to determine how to get him to cooperate. "Look, let's face it. Your relationship with Dr. Brennan had been a source of speculation since the first time you two worked together. Over the years we've seen you two grow close and when you got too close you ran away from each other . . . You know how people are. You know that you two have been a source of gossip for years and these people that started the pool, they're your friends and co-workers. They knew that you two would get together sooner or later even if you and Dr. Brennan didn't want to admit it or recognize how much you mean to each other. We aren't blind. We aren't stupid . . . that pool was a sign of optimism. Your friends knew . . . they absolutely knew that you two were going to be a couple someday. That's how much faith they have in you two. Even when you were with Hannah, the pool stayed active because everyone knew that you and Brennan were meant to be together and that someday you'd see it too."

Booth stared at Cam and was surprised at the speech she was giving him, but he didn't respond. He wanted the players to understand that he wasn't a toy to be played with and neither was Brennan.

"Nothing? Really?" Cam sighed. "Just tell me when you two became a couple and we can end the pool. We've learned our lesson. No one will ever use you in a pool again. Not after it took two years to finish this one. Do you have any idea how big that pot is now?"

An idea sprang into being and Booth grinned as he leaned forward. "Tell you what. If the winner agrees to give half of what they win to Fisher House Foundation, Bones and me will cooperate and we'll tell you when we became a couple."

"But that's blackmail." Astonished that Booth would stoop so low, Cam shook her head. "I'm not so sure everyone will agree to that."

"It is blackmail and that is my condition to end this." Booth grimly reached into the drawer of his desk and handed a brochure from Fisher House Foundation to Cam. "These people deserve our respect and our help. Everyone in the pool has three choices. They can keep fighting over the date, they can just pick a date from thin air and end the pool or they can give in to my terms and we'll confirm if we're a couple and if we are when it happened. I don't really care which one they choose. I'm done with this conversation and you know there isn't any use bugging Bones about this. She was pretty unhappy when she found out we were being used as pieces in a game. She was also disappointed that it took everyone months to mention that she was pregnant. You people are supposed to be geniuses, but we sure didn't see any sign of it. Bones can tell when someone is pregnant when they're just a couple of months pregnant, but she made allowances for your lower IQs and decided you guys would figure it out in three." Booth shook his head. "Pretty sad Cam. Pretty damn sad."

"Oh we knew by the time she was three months pregnant. The signs were there, but we kept thinking she'd say something or you would." The whole situation was turning into a soap opera and Cam was regretting that she'd allowed the pool to enter the Lab. She also regretted being part of the pool. "I'll pass the word around about your blackmail and I'll get back to you."

Glad that Cam had given him such a great idea, Booth nodded his head. "You do that." Turning his attention back to the report lying on his desk, he waited until Cam left his office before he called Brennan. He was glad the thing was coming to a close. It had been too much drama and he had had enough drama in his life.

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A/N: Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans' families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge.


	4. Chapter 4

(After The Change in the Game)

Thank you for reviewing my story. It is greatly appreciated. It is the only way I can tell if anyone is really interested in my stories.

I don't own Bones.

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Booth entered the Lab and made his way to Brennan's office. Spying her sitting at her desk, her attention captured by an article she was reading in a magazine, Booth leaned against the doorway and stared at her for a few moments. He still couldn't believe that they were together now and he had to remind himself that his bad luck had finally taken a turn for the better. Brennan was everything he had ever wanted. She was brilliant, beautiful and she loved him. He loved her so much that he felt blessed and so happy he almost had no words to describe how he felt. "Bones."

His voice was soft, but she had heard him anyway. Looking up, Brennan smiled at the sight of her lover standing in her doorway and felt her heart flutter a little bit. She knew that she was happier than she had ever been and the man standing in the doorway was the cause of her happiness. "Booth, what are you doing here? Do we have a case?"

"No, I just came by to let you know that Cam says everyone in the pool has given in and they've agreed to give half their winnings to Fisher House Foundation." Booth straightened up and moved into the room. "Some of them bitched about it and it took some arm twisting by the others, but they finally gave in. Of course I'm really popular right now, but I don't give a shit."

"You did the right thing." Brennan closed the magazine and stood up. "Are we supposed to make a formal announcement?"

Booth held out his hand and took her hand in his when she was close enough. "Charlie is on the platform with Cam. We're just going to give them the date we became a couple and Charlie will award the winner. He's holding back half the pot and he's going to write a check to Fisher House today. We got what we wanted. You can bet they'll never use us in their pools again. We're real people, not toys to be played with."

She loved the way that Booth protected their privacy and how he had turned the situation into something satisfying. He was a good man and Brennan liked to remind him of that fact since she felt he didn't believe that of himself. "You're such a good man, Booth. That charity could use the money and it is a wonderful program."

"Yeah, thanks. I support them when I can." Booth leaned over and kissed her. "Well, let's get this over with." As they moved out of the office, the couple continued to hold hands. They had found that they liked the contact and were holding hands more often now that they were in a personal relationship.

Once they were in sight of the platform, the couple noticed that there were several people standing on the platform and several standing below near the staircase. Brennan suddenly felt nervous and wasn't sure why. She knew who these people were. Some of them were friends and all were co-workers, so her nervousness made no sense to her.

Booth had felt her hand tighten around his and he knew that Brennan was feeling anxious. She was socially awkward and he knew that she dreaded new social situations where the rules were unclear to her. He had told her often enough that she was fine, but he knew that didn't change anything. He was there to support her and that was what mattered.

As they walked up the stairs, Angela smiled at the couple and felt relief that her best friend was finally in a relationship with someone that loved her and appreciated her. She had always felt the partners were made for each other, but it had taken years for them to see that themselves. Now that Brennan was pregnant she knew that the couple were committed to each other and she had faith that they would remain a couple. God help anyone that tried to get between them because that person would not come out of it in very good shape.

As they turned to face the small crowd, Booth released Brennan's hand and raised his hands palm out towards their friends. "Okay, you people listen up. Bones and me are in a relationship and we have been since the day after the English squintern died . . . Vincent made us see that life is short and anything can happen without warning . . . Here's a warning to you and you better take it seriously. Never ever use Bones and me in another pool again. This is the last time we will allow anyone to use us as a toy. I hope you get that." Booth placed his hand over his gun on his hip and glared around making sure to make eye contact with everyone. Satisfied that everyone was taking him seriously, Booth lowered his hand and captured Brennan's hand in his.

Not sure if she was supposed to say anything, Brennan glanced at Booth then faced her friends. "Booth and I are in a monogamous relationship and I am pregnant with his child. That is all the personal information you will be getting from us. Our lives are private and we will not tolerate any interference in our relationship." Certain that she had conveyed her warning correctly and precisely, Brennan smiled. "Congratulations to the winner whoever it is and thank you for your generosity by giving part of your winnings to a charity that can use the funds."

Their little ceremony over, Booth and Brennan left the platform and retired to Brennan's office where they closed the blinds, locked the office door and used the privacy to do a little kissing to celebrate. Of course the kissing turned into something a little more intimate, but that was no one's business but theirs.

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Once the couple was out of sight, Hodgins poked Charlie in the side. "Okay, who won?"

Flipping open his notebook, Charlie smiled and shook his head. "We have five winners, so half of the pot will be split five ways."

"Five winners?" Angela stared at Charlie with a shocked expression. "Five?"

"Yep." Charlie hadn't won, but at this point he was just grateful to get rid of the pool. It had been fun, but as soon as Booth had found about it, it had turned into a burden. "A lot of observant people around here I must say . . . Dr. Hodgins, Ms. Montenegro, Dr. Edison, Agent Morris Harris and Agent Jenny Shaw . . . congratulations folks. I'll get the money together today and deliver your winnings tomorrow."

Curious, Cam had to ask. "How much will the winners get?"

Now came the moment of truth. "Each winner will be collecting $1,500. The pool had reached $15,000 and half of that is $7,500. Divide that by 5 and you get $1,500."

Impressed, Clark whistled. "Holy cow. I've never won a pot like that in my life. Not bad for a dollar investment."

Amazed everyone turned to stare at Clark. Almost speechless, Hodgins shook his head. "One dollar? You have to be kidding me."

"No, I just made the one bet." Clark smugly stared at his co-workers. "A blind man could see they were together after Vincent died. All I needed to make was one bet."

Amused, Charlie clapped Clark's shoulder. "You were the only one to make a one dollar bet. Everyone else placed bets of $20 or more. Good job Dr. Edison, good job."

Ooooooooooooooooooooooo

That's the end of this story. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope you found it amusing.


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